Our focus reveals our purpose
Suppose an election candidate has a chequered past but has thereafter done much laudable work. One newspaper may write about him: “Although he is doing [...]
In the spiritual journey, surrender is the starter, sustainer and summit
The Bhagavad-gita recommends surrender in its beginning, middle and end. This consistent stress conveys that in our spiritual journey, surrender is the starter, sustainer and [...]
If we let our imagination toy with temptation, we become toys of temptation
Few temptations are as tempting as the temptation to toy with temptation. When we encounter a temptation, we are often held back from physical indulgence [...]
What someone is not telling can be telling
Suppose India is rocked by a war of global significance. If an Indian newspaper barely reports that war, that silence is telling – it highlights [...]
Our free will is never lost, but it is constricted by misuse
“Are addicts forced to indulge in their addiction? Have they lost their free will?” Such questions often confront addicts and those associated with them, especially [...]
The Gita is not always literal – it’s also literary
Some people ask, “Do you take everything in the Bhagavad-gita literally?” This is a loaded question. Answering yes provokes rationalists – they label such answerers [...]
The mind is a slow learner – learn to help it learn
Suppose parents learn that their child, who had been struggling at school, has dyslexia. This knowledge, though distressing, is also empowering. How? Because they can [...]
People may worship one God, but they don’t necessarily worship the same God
The word “God” is used across the world’s various monotheistic traditions to refer to the Supreme Being. Although all monotheists profess to worship one God, [...]
Service attitude is the torch that lights the next step amidst the darkness of perplexity
Suppose we are walking through an unfamiliar area and suddenly the power goes off. We may rant initially, but soon we will turn on our [...]
Spirituality empowers us to reclaim our destiny
Suppose a person had got a huge legacy that they could claim by traveling by ship to a distant place. They wouldn’t get their destined [...]
To forget that one is forgetful is to become a fool
We may know people who are notoriously forgetful. They forget scheduled meetings and when we exasperatedly call them, they reply predictably, “I forgot.” If we [...]
Reformation requires reformulation
Suppose we want to grow vegetables in a land where only weeds have been growing. We may uproot the weeds and plant the vegetables, but [...]
To claim that nothing should be generalized is to generalize something
Some people argue, “Everything is relative; nothing should be generalized.” But this argument begs the question: “Nothing should be generalized – should this statement be [...]
What we can know depends on what we know
People sometimes ask, “Can you show me the soul?” Before we can see the soul, we need to know enough to know what to see. [...]
Before you put others in their place, put yourself in their place
When we teach something and find that some people keep objecting, we may feel impelled to speak cuttingly and put them in their place. However, [...]
Focus not on the harsh truth, but on the gentle healing
Whenever surgeons operate, they try to minimize the distress caused by the surgery. Physically, they administer pain medicine. And emotionally, they solace the patient by [...]
Understand the thought-wave under the thought
On the spiritual path, we strive to lead a pure life and to cultivate pure thoughts. But nasty thoughts sometimes come in our mind. We [...]
The mind often acts mindlessly – mind it
In common parlance, the word “mind” has multiple meanings such as attention (“Mind your head”) or intelligence (“Don’t act mindlessly”). In the Bhagavad-gita, the mind [...]
Greater than the world’s power to hurt is God’s power to heal
The world sometimes afflicts us with reversals such as financial losses, relationship ruptures or devastating diagnoses. The resulting hurt may overwhelm and paralyze us. At [...]
Those who see in history only their own reflection can’t see the trans-historical
History is often a fiercely disputed territory. Many people see history as an extension of their present into the past. Thus, for example, two countries [...]
Fight for your faith within more than without
Some religious people are over-zealous to fight for their faith – they quickly raise arms whenever they feel that their sacred icons have been slurred, [...]